Role and Function of Network Connectivity in Current Computing

This essay explains roles of network connectivity in the present computing, the principles of communication of networks, the functionality of hardware components and fundamentals of cloud computing.

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ASSIGNMENT

Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Role and function of network connectivity in current computing.............................................2
Principles of communication in networks..................................................................................2
Role and functionality of hardware and software entities that contribute to network
communications.........................................................................................................................3
Protocols and interactions that implement network communications........................................4
Fundamental aspects of cloud computing..................................................................................4
Networking needs for business..................................................................................................5
References..................................................................................................................................7

Introduction
In today's world communication is very important. It allows people to exchange
information between each other without necessarily meeting unlike in ancient times. This is
made possible by the so-called networking which can only be done through modern
computers. For communication to be successful there are various components that are
required. This essay explains roles of network connectivity in the present computing, the
principles of communication of networks, the functionality of hardware components and
fundamentals of cloud computing.
Role and function of network connectivity in current computing
Network connectivity can be described as the process of connecting various network
parts or how well different network parts are connected such as network devices like switches
and routers. It has a vital role in current computing which includes the application of
technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and cloud computing (Park, & Friston, 2013).
Network connectivity plays a huge role in the flow of data and information in the form of
packets in a network. Packets transfer from source to destination requires that all network
components are perfectly connected to increase network performance in any kind of network
topology and architecture. Network performance is affected by a number of factors which
depend on network connectivity. These factors include network latency, bandwidth,
throughput, jitter and error rate (Kwon & Wen,2010).
The main role and function of network connectivity thus are to enhance network
performance in cloud computing. It achieves this by ensuring high network latency which is
the time required to transfer a packet from its source to destination in a network. The higher
the latency the faster the response time and the lower the jitter time which is the variation of
packet delay at the destination. Network connectivity also ensures high network throughput
which is the actual rate of information transfer. Maintaining high throughput increases the
efficiency of any system in current computing even in applications that apply artificial
intelligence. The error rate is a major factor in the performance of current computing systems
and perfect network connectivity plays a big role in ensuring reduced or zero error rate.

Principles of communication in networks
Network communication is the transfer of digital data between two more components
in a network. It may be between two or more computers between a computer and a server.
One of the principles of communication in networks is network topology. There are three
main types of the network topology which are linear, star and ring topology (Pahlavan, &
Krishnamurthy, 2011). All the three topologies have different communication algorithm
when it comes to passing data packets from one network device to another. In-ring topology,
a packet passes through all workstation in the network before reaching its destination but in
star and linear topologies, a packet is transferred directly from its source to its destination.
Data transfer, therefore, is influenced by the kind of topology being utilized by the network.
There are other kinds of network topology such as star-ring topology which is a combination
of both star and ring topology.
Another communication principle is network architecture. There are mainly to types of
network architecture which are peer to peer-to-peer and client/server architecture. Peer-to-
peer networks do not use a centralized computer server to control the network but all
computers in the network are tasked with equal responsibilities and communication between
all computers is allowed. File sharing is the most common application of peer-to-peer
architecture where all computers in the network share files across the network. Client/server
network includes a number of client computers and network server (Kennedy, McCann,
Steer, & Purnadi, BlackBerry Ltd, 2013). Client computers ask or request for resources or
services and a network server provides them. The server computer is responsible for
managing the resources and services in the network.
Role and functionality of hardware and software entities that contribute to network
communications
Hardware entities that aid network communication are physical network devices
installed in a network and play different roles in transferring digital data across the network.
The hardware devices include routers, switches, gateways, modems, hubs, repeaters, wireless
access points, and networking cables (Esbel & Christian, 2016). Routers forward data packets
between computer networks and also responsible for directing traffic on the internet.
Switches connect one network device to another in a network and they use packet switching
in receiving, processing and forwarding data packets to their destination. A gateway provides
compatibility between networks through the conversion of protocols, codes and transmission

speeds while a repeater makes multiple Ethernet devices act as a single segment by
connecting them together. Servers are also hardware entities that store digital data and allow
authorized parties to access it.
There are software entities that aid in network communication in playing different roles in a
network. Some of the software entities are file transfer programs such as electronic file
transfer, terminal emulators, instant messaging programs and firewalls. This software plays a
big role in network communication by providing remote access to systems and helps in file-
sharing in user communication in the form of texts, audio and also videos. A firewall is a
software or hardware that is put on a network to prevent communication from an
unauthorized source or a source that is against the network policy. It creates a wall between a
secured internal network and a suspicious external network. File transfer programs are used
by the end-users to deliver output from the network or take input into the network for
processing (Kreutz, Ramos, Verissimo, Rothenberg, Azodolmolky, & Uhlig, 2014).
Protocols and interactions that implement network communications
Network protocols are policies comprised of a set of rules that guide communication
between devices in a network. They influence all the data intake, processing, and transfer and
also the output of digital data in a network. The various types of network protocols are
network management protocols, network communication protocols, and network security
protocols. Network management protocols such as internet control message protocol and
simple network management protocol are responsible for providing network maintenance and
governance. ICMP facilitates troubleshooting and error message services. SNMP collects and
organizes information concerning devices on Internet protocol networks and modifies that
information to alter the behavior of the device (Castellani, Bui, Casari, Rossi, Shelby, &
Zorzi, 2010).
Hypertext transfer protocol (HTTPS), secure sockets layer (SSL), secure file transfer protocol
(SFTP) are network security protocols that implement security over network
communications. Hypertext transfer protocol implements security by adding a layer of
security on the data being transmitted through a secure socket layer. SSL is designed to
secure connections between website clients and servers in a client/server network which may
be insecure such as the internet. SFTP is a file transfer protocol that secures data packets
being transferred by enabling data transfer and access via a secure shell data stream

(Angskun, Fagg, Bosilca, Pješivac-Grbović & Dongarra, 2010). Network communication
protocols are responsible for managing data flow over a network. They ensure that there is no
data collision and also controls the size of data being transmitted at a time and regulating
jitter time.
Fundamental aspects of cloud computing
Cloud computing services are delivered or hosted over the internet. These services
include digital data storage and computing power resources. One of the fundamental aspects
of cloud computing is on-demand self-service (Kulkarni, Gambhir, Patil, & Dongare, 2012).
This means that cloud users can access cloud services over the internet any time
automatically without physically involving other parties. Computing resources are readily
available at any time without interaction with the cloud service provider. Another
fundamental aspect is resource pooling where computing resources are pooled or collected
together in a pool to serve multiple users simultaneously. This is achieved through the use of
virtual resources which are provided to the user in line to their demands. Unlimited storage is
another aspect of cloud computing. Since data is stored in the cloud, it is easy to expand the
storage according to user demands.
This is advantageous compared to physical data storage such as hard disks which have static
storage capacity. Measured service is another fundamental aspect of cloud computing. Users
are allowed to pay for the services and resources according to the extent to which they use
them (Chen, Paxson, & Katz,2010). It exploits the system of pay as you go where a user is
only charged for what they use. Another fundamental aspect is availability which is
facilitated by wide network access. This means that cloud computing services are available
easily via any networking device as long as there is internet connectivity. One is able to
access the services and resources through gadgets like laptops, smartphones, desktops and
even tablets at their own comfort thus make it easy for users to utilize the services.
Networking needs for business
Network architecture is the design of a network. It may be its architecture or even its
topology. There are various networking needs for a business which include resource access
and sharing, data storage, communication and computing services, and computing power.
Any kind of business is in need of computing power and resources and this is brought about
by the architecture of the network (Österle, Fleisch, & Alt, 2012). Give that there are two

types of network architecture which are peer-to-peer and client/server networks, a business
needs to identify the most applicable one. Peer-to-peer networks support resource sharing and
communication between users on the network and this is most applicable to businesses where
such communication is vital.
On the other hand, communication in client/server networks is limited where users request for
resources and the server computer provides them according to availability. It is efficient in a
business that requires a lot of resource pooling. Resource pooling will allow multiple users to
access the resources simultaneously (Fortino, & Nayak,2010). Digital data storage is a vital
business networking need since data captured will need to be preserved and also protected
from unauthorized users. This brings out the aspect of user identification which is achieved
through authentication. Authentication is also a business need which acts as a barrier or a
wall protecting business data and information from unauthorized parties.
Conclusion
From the above we have discussed various components of communication and their
role in network connectivity. Components like protocols allow information to move from one
region to another in the network. Without protocols then files won’t be able to be transferred
within the network. Another important aspect of is cloud computing, it enables data to be
accessed from the internet. All of the above-discussed aspects of networking are more
important aspects of computer networking

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